


The Day I Met Mr. Poland

by ChibiDashie



Series: The Magic Almanac [17]
Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Gen, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-08
Updated: 2021-02-08
Packaged: 2021-03-13 11:53:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,356
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29278023
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChibiDashie/pseuds/ChibiDashie
Summary: Mary finds a friendly little pony, who she quickly befriends due to her love of horses and anything equestrian. However, it turns out that the pony is quite mischievous, bringing Mary somewhere to the home of one of the countries in Friendship Manor. Quite the start of a new friendship, I must admit!
Series: The Magic Almanac [17]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1424335
Comments: 2
Kudos: 2





	The Day I Met Mr. Poland

The sound of tiny footsteps rang through the empty ballroom that served as a gathering spot for the nations during special events. Just on the mezzanine not too high up from the ballroom, the young girl Mary entered through a portal-like entrance leading to the mezzanine. It appeared as if Mary was the only living, breathing thing in the whole ballroom. Slowly, she crept down the mezzanine stairs onto the beautiful ballroom floor to spot just herself, the Continental Halls of the Nations, and the statue of the mother of Earth, Gaia, underneath the mezzanine. It may seem like Mary is alone, but there was something in the air that felt like someone else is here. 

In one hand, Mary held the stuffed unicorn she loved the most close to her, fearing it might as well separate away from her. The young girl looked around, trying her best to sense who else might be here with her. An idea suddenly struck to her, where she put her heels together and did her best to stay still in the empty ballroom and hear whatever she could hear with her little round ears. The whole ballroom was so quiet, Mary felt that she could hear her own heart thump in her chest with every passing minute. It felt like forever, until Mary heard the gentle, yet faint sounds of clip clops on the floor that soon grew louder and louder. The noise seemingly came from Hall Europe, despite the Continental Halls of the Nations having a soft, velvety carpet flooring. It didn't take long for Mary's curiosity to lure her to the source of the noise, and my oh my, what a surprise that took Mary!

Her eyes widened, nearly dropping her beloved stuffed unicorn on the almost slick ballroom floor. She ran towards what she saw to be a beautiful brown pony, nearly slipping on the ballroom floor as she ran. It felt as if a dream has come true for Mary; every little girl deserves a pony to love and cherish, and every pony deserves a little girl to call their friend. Mary gently hugged the equine's head, nearly lifting her off her toes.

"A real pony!" Mary squeaked happily, "You and Cottonball can be friends now!" 

The little girl held up her well-loved plush unicorn to the pony, who gave it a whiff from its nostrils to see what it could possibly smell like. Out of sheer surprise, the pony grabbed the plush toy, trotting away with it in its mouth towards Hall Europe. 

"Cottonball!" Mary exclaimed, shocked that her best friend was taken away so quickly, "That's mine! Give it back!" 

Thus began a great chase within Hall Europe that felt nearly endless. Step after step, Mary quickly grew exhausted from chasing after something much faster than she ever would be in her lifetime. With every huff and puff, it felt like the mischievous pony was going to run off with her best friend that she'll never get back. Soon enough, the mischievous little pony turned, heading into one of the doorways within Hall Europe that would bring them to a certain part of Europe. Mary didn't care where she was going; all she wanted was her stuffed friend back. Just as she was going inside the doorway, the door, however, shut right before Mary could ever slip in! Thankfully, this gave her time to catch her breath, but this also meant a new adventure for the spunky little girl. She slowly opened the door, taking a peek within to see if the thief was anywhere in sight. 

To Mary's surprise, what she saw looked much like a grandmother's home that would easily bring back nostalgic memories for most. The smell of onions wafted through the air, though Mary couldn't pinpoint where the smell was coming from or what it even was in the first place. Slowly with every step she took, Mary looked all over for her best friend, hoping she would be reunited with her beloved unicorn. 

"Cottonball!" Mary called out, "Cottonball!" It almost appeared as if Mary was about to give up the search, with tears slowly beginning to swell in her eyes. She sat down on the carpeted floor, looking down at her knees as the tears dripped off her cheeks and staining the sage-colored carpet. 

It wasn't too long until Mary felt the warm touch of someone's hand on her shoulder. She slowly looked up, with tears still in her eyes that soon flicked off when she saw who was behind her; could this possibly be a new friend? To her surprise, she flopped on the soft, scratchy carpet and looked up at whoever accidentally startled her. 

"Oh! A little girl!" He exclaimed, soon kneeling down to her height, "How did you find my home?" 

"I was chasing a horsey because it took my friend," Mary explained, "My friend is named Cottonball and he's a little blue unicorn with a pink mane and purple feet." 

The man quickly stood up as if a revelation struck him. "Oh! I think I totally know what you're talking about! Follow me!" 

Mary stood up, quickly following the man that found her into the kitchen. The stench of the cooking onions grew much stronger, but the smell of kielbasa also struck the little girl who soon began to grow hungry from such an exciting chase. The man reached towards a little kitchen table, grabbing something familiar that brought joy to the little girl's eyes. 

"You found Cottonball!" Mary squeaked, hugging the stuffed toy, "Is he alright?" 

"Tak! I don't know why Pony decided to steal your little unicorn friend, but I guess he just wanted to play? Like, I don't know. Oh! I just remembered! Are you hungry, little girl?" 

"Yeah!" 

"Well I forgot that I had the stove boiling water and like, forgot to boil something before the water goes away. It won't take long, okay? You can explore my house all you want and I will call you." 

Mary nodded, taking her time to explore this new home she stepped foot in. It wasn't too big of a house, since it was practically impossible to get lost here. There was a small room near the dining room and the actual entrance of the house which caught the attention of the little girl. A big, fluffy stuffed toy sat there, with round eyes that appeared to be made of ping pong balls that stared at the young girl, which also immediately captured her heart. Mary couldn't make out what the thing was supposed to be, but it reminded her of something else she had. 

"Cottonball, look!" Mary said, talking to her unicorn toy, "It looks like Elliott!" 

She began to pet the dragon's fuzzy pelt, noting the different textures of the fabric from the long, green and yellow shag on its body to the white minky that made its eyes. Tufts of purple fluff gave the dragon a funny haircut on the top of its cranium, with more tufts of purple fluff going down its spine and tail. When Mary lifted up the dragon, she noticed that the plush toy had a bit of weight, as if the toy was a small animal. Running back to the kitchen while dragging the toy, Mary wanted to show the funny dragon to this man she just met, wondering what the dragon's name could be and why it was there in this man's home.

"Look what I found!" Mary squeaked, "I found a friend!"

"Oh! You found Bazyli!" The man said, "I bought that when I heard the news for someone special. It's a bit complicated to explain this, but like, we're in a club and it just got a new leader called the Bearer of the Almanac, but the thing is that this Bearer turns out to be a child!" The man suddenly realized something about young little Mary, squinting his eyes. "Wait a second...How did you even get here, other than chasing Pony?"

"I came through that door!" She pointed at the door that she came through that looked like it lead to another room in the house. A revelation struck the man out of absolutely nowhere, as he fell to his knees to the little girl, placing both of his hands on her shoulders.

"Oh my goodness! You're the Bearer of the Almanac! I should have known sooner! Ah, I totally forgot to ask what your name is, Bearer."

"I'm Mary, and this is Cottonball!"

"Oh, sweet little Lala, Liet was telling me about you! No wonder I remembered hearing about a 'Mary' from him! I'll call him after I finish this, okay? Come, come eat now. You can bring Bazyli with you, he probably would like your unicorn friend."

Mary followed the man with every step he took as he prepared the little lunch by the kitchen nook. Mary had never seen such delectable foods like this! The fresh smell of boiled pierogies danced along with caramelized onions and the strong stench of sauerkraut that brought back plenty of nostalgia. A link of kielbasa was also brought out and cut into bite-sized pieces small enough for Mary to chew. Lastly was the fresh smell of chocolate and cherry babka, a perfect way to top off this lunch.

"This should be plenty, Mary." He said, "Please eat up, I worked so hard into this. Just let me call my friend, okay? I will be right back."

Mary nodded, soon digging into the pierogies to fill her tummy. The man grabbed a phone that wasn't too far, dialing the buttons to call a friend. Mary watched in interest, though distracted by the fact that she accidentally poked her cheek with a pierogie stabbed with the fork she was using, rather than eating the pierogie normally.

"Liet? It's me, Poland! You will not believe who I found! ...Huh? Oh, it's the Bearer of the Almanac, Mary. Tak! I think she's the one right? Um, let's see... She's got light brown hair with bangs, carries a little blue unicorn with her...Oh! That's her? Ah, okay! I just wanted to confirm it. She also found Bazyli, too. Oh, it's that funny green dragon I found at the store. She totally loves him! Anyways, my pierogies are getting cold and she's probably like, thinking to herself, 'what is this weirdo doing on the phone?'. Yeah sure, might as well. Go do your thingy, cause I have no idea what is going to happen with this young child. I have a Bearer to, well, bear! Haha! Get it? Ohhh, Poland, you're so funny! Liet, was that funny or what? Oh..."

Mary was curious on what happened, staring at the man as he placed the phone back to where it belonged.

"Who was on the phone?" Mary asked,

"Oh, that's my friend Lithuania," he answered, "But I call him Liet for short."

Mary grew excited at the mention of a friend she met. "Mr. Lithuania! He's a really nice friend and I like him a lot!"

"Tak, tak!" The man said, settling down to begin enjoying his delicious creation, "And I'm his friend, Poland!"

"You're Mr. Polan?" Mary said, not realizing she mispronounced 'Poland'. Poland though, looked rather offended at a young child mispronouncing his name.

"Nie, nie! It's Poland. Po-Land! Say it with me Mary, Po-lan-d!"

"Mr. Polan!"

"Close enough." He then noticed that there were still plenty of food left for Mary to eat through on her plate, wondering what was going on. 

"I'm full, Mr. Polan."

"No you're not. Eat, eat! There's still plenty of pierogi left and still a fresh babka." 

"What's a babka?"

"Oh! It's my very homemade bread with chocolate and cherries in it. You can have it once you eat everything, unless you're really full and your tummy hurts." 

However, Poland cannot read Mary's mind to really know if she is full or not; Mary just didn't want to eat much since a little bit goes a long way for her. Mary knew that she would get the babka if she told Poland that she was full. By instinct, Mary took a little piece of babka and ate it, noting the cherries and the chocolate waltzing together within. This made Mary want to grab another piece, savoring every little bite she could. 

"So, you weren't full this whole time?" 

"The babka is yummy!" Mary exclaimed, despite still chewing her food as if she weren't full in the first place. Poland crossed his arms and huffed, falling for such a trick that could easily be broken through a loophole. 

"Next time you eat, you eat everything. I'll let this slide for now since we only met today."

Mary casually ignored Poland, still eating away at the babka. Poland, though disappointed that the little girl didn't eat everything that was savory on her plate, was undeniably proud that Mary really likes his homemade babka. It wasn't too long until the two of them heard the door open, as if another guest was entering the home uninvited. However, this wasn't just quite an unusual guest, rather, an unusual resident that Mary had just seen before. 

"There you are, silly horsey!" Mary said, giggling as she began to pet the auburn pony. "Don't take Cottonball from me, okay?" 

"Well, I guess Pony needed a little scold, huh?" Poland chuckled, "I can't like, read Pony's head though. Who knows why Pony wanted to take your little friend in the first place!" 

"Ah! Mr. Polan?"

"Tak?"

"Do you think I can ride pony, too?"

"Well, what does Pony think?" Poland looked over at his beloved steed, who began to nod excitedly. "Oh! I guess that's a 'yes' from Pony. Come on, we're gonna go outside. Pony rides shouldn't be indoors anyways."

Mary held Poland's hand, swinging his arm back and forth as the three went out a door nearby the kitchen that led to the backyard. There was a cute little garden, full of plenty of different crops Poland grew like potatoes and cabbages, as well as a little shed for Pony and some other equipment stored inside, like hay for Pony to feast on and saddles to make Pony more comfortable when someone is mounted on the equine. 

"You see that shed there, Mary?"

"Yeah!"

"That's where I keep all of Pony's things, and I will gladly teach you all about riding a horse. Come now, you're going to learn some things!"

He pulled opened the big, rickety doors that appeared as if they could possibly fall apart any time soon, revealing the inside that looks just like a garage. Lots of loose hay lay all over the ground, with some reins and saddles hanging on the left side of the shed. On another side of the shed was a rather unique piece of armor Mary had never seen before; it was as if the armor sported massive wings that would make someone fly! Poor Mary was distracted by so many things she saw all around the shed.

"Oh? Are you wondering what that is?" Poland asked, crouching down to Mary's height. 

"Why does it have wings?" Mary asked, pointing at the winged piece of armor.

"Oh, my prized Hussar armor!" Poland exclaimed, "When I was much, much younger, I led an army of these winged hussars that terrified many of those who saw me. There's so many memories within those metal feathers of mine from days gone past. Anyways! Let's get you started. Do you know what a saddle is, Mary?"

"Is it the thingy you put on a horsey?"

"Tak, tak! A saddle also makes it a lot easier for Pony to be more comfortable when you ride on them. After all, Pony had to deal with my tushie many, many times! Haha!" 

Mary giggled at the funny word Poland just said. Knowing what the winged armor meant to Poland, she continued to listen to him talking about the basics of riding a pony, from the saddle to the reins. Soon enough, it was at last time to ride! Mary though, had a little issue on trying to get up on Pony, though. 

"Mr. Polan?"

"Yes?"

"I can't get up on Pony..." With every little attempt Mary made to get up on Pony's back, the saddle would slide off along with Mary, who was thankfully cushioned by a little bit of hay. 

"Oh, I see. Here, let me help you out." He grabbed Mary, soon hoisting her up on the back of Pony and adjusted the stirrups and fixed the saddle so she wouldn't slip off while riding her new equine friend. It was as if Mary was all ready to learn how to ride a horse by herself, until Poland grabbed a lead to attach to the reins of his beloved equine. 

"Well, we're all ready, Mary." Poland said, "I know you're too young to ride a pony all by yourself, which is why I'll be leading Pony here, okay? Maybe when you're older, I'll teach you how to ride Pony by yourself." 

Mary didn't mind; what mattered more was that she got to ride on a real horse! Surely, she did remember a time when the statue of Ancient Rome came alive in the Friendship Manor gardens along with his beloved steed, Bucephalus. At that time, Mary rode Bucephalus with Rome sitting right behind her; this time, Mary got to somewhat ride a pony by herself. 

The journey began as Poland lead the pony carrying the little girl out, soon closing the shed and locking it securely so no passing burglars would rob his home or shed. It felt like there was so much space to roam free among the forests and the rolling hills! Alas, Poland was Mary's only guide, so she would never get lost among the endless hills and forests that blanketed the land. With the sound of hooves clip-clopping on the dirt road, Poland showed Mary all around the little village he resided in, away from the hustle and bustle of big cities like Warsaw and Krakow. Little babcias would pass by greeting the two, sometimes stopping for a conversation that Mary would never understand as they carried little baskets of bread and cabbages. Other babcias would often watch the two passing by from the safety of their homes as if they were all a part of a massive surveillance system. Sometimes, groups of children would also pass by, running all around Poland and his pony as they avoided getting kicked by the horse. 

"Mr. Polan?"

"Tak?"

"How long did you know Pony for?"

"Oh, a very long time, my dear Mary! Like, a super duper long time! I was like your age when I first met Pony, and we've been very best friends ever since. He never left my side and fought with me when I needed it the most, even when nobody rode ponies anymore. I'm glad that you like ponies, too. As my philosophy would go: every little girl deserves a pony, and every pony deserves a little girl to call their friend." 

With every step Pony took, Mary felt like she was riding free into the sunset, not really caring or noticing that Poland was leading the way for Mary's safety. It felt more like a parade at this point, with Mary having the courage to wave at people who would pass by. Often times, Mary would be singing songs she remembered from school or her other nation friends to bring a little cheer to her new friends and those who would pass by (Since Mary is autistic, this would technically be echolalia). 

"Mr. Polan!" 

"Tak?"

"Do you like My Little Pony, too?"

"Is that the thing where the ponies are like, magical and colorful?"

"Yeah! I like Twilight Sparkle! She's my favorite pony!"

"Why is that?"

"She's a princess and she's both a unicorn and a pegasus! She's also really pretty too!" 

"Ohhhh, a pegacorn?" 

"Twilight Sparkle is an alicorn silly Mr. Polan!"

"Ohhh, I see now! What is she a princess of, exactly?"

"Friendship!" 

"She must be like a nice friend to everyone, huh? That's what I like in a friend! Maybe you might be a... erm, what's her name again?"

"Twilight Sparkle!"

"Right! You might just be just like her; a princess of friendship!" 

"I like princesses too!" 

"Why, you are our princess, being the Bearer of the Almanac after all. Maybe, just maybe, you are the princess of friendship for us nations that we so desperately needed. Ah, we're just almost back home. Did you have fun riding Pony?"

"Yeah!"

As Poland led Pony and Mary back to his humble abode, he grabbed Mary and took her off the pony. The feeling of riding a horse for so long made Mary feel like as if she lost all sorts of balance, flopping on her knees. Poland had never seen such an effect like this before and couldn't help but chuckle. 

"Looks like you need to get like, totally used to this, huh?" 

Mary giggled, holding her hands out so Poland could help her back on her feet. It was almost growing dark, and Mary was quite tired after a long day of riding Pony for what seemed like such a short time, yet quite so long.

"Tired, Lala?"

Mary nodded, rubbing her eyes with Cottonball in one hand. Slowly she wobbled along with Poland as he did his best to hold her hand, making sure she doesn't fall down. It soon became obvious that Mary was far too tired to even continue walking to the point Poland had to physically carry her in his arms. He lay her down on a sofa that was rather scratchy, but that didn't stop Mary from sleeping peacefully. Poland then put a soft blanket over the sleeping child, as well as adjusting her beloved friend Cottonball in her arms. Most importantly, he grabbed Mary's new fluffy dragon friend and put the weighted toy right next to her as another pillow. 

"Dobranoc, Lala." 

Poor Mary was knocked out from a day of making new friends and most importantly, having fun with them. She was in a deep sleep, a nap that she so desperately needed, even though she is the kind who would refuse to take one in the first place. This, however, put Poland in quite a predicament on what to do with the young girl that practically crashed at his own home! Pony was curious to see what had happened to Mary, approaching the child who lay on the scratchy green sofa. 

"Nie, nie, pony!" Poland whispered, "She's sleeping! I need to get her back home safely." He began to ponder around with some ideas, like asking his friend Lithuania to bring her home. Nah, that would be asking too much; besides, he's probably busy filing paperwork. He then thought of Pony bringing her home. No, no, no! That would be far too dangerous, and he doesn't want to give Mary a concussion at such a young age. He sighed, knowing that there's nothing left but to bring her back home whether he liked it or not. Just as he was wrapping her up in a bundle to carry home, Mary's eyes slowly opened up, soon seeing that she was being held in the arms of her new friend Poland. 

"Oh! You're awake!" Poland said as he quickly placed Mary back on the scratchy, pine-green sofa. "I was just about to totally take you home! Do you think you can go by yourself?" 

"Yeah!" Mary squeaked, trying her best to free herself from the blankets. "Thank you for being very nice to me, Mr. Polan."

"Oh, you're so welcome! Hugs for Mr. Poland!" 

Mary, once she was freed from the blankets, ran up to the Pole and gave him quite a big hug, especially for making one of her dreams come true of being able to ride a horse by herself. Mary didn't forget about Poland's other friend as well, who she also did hug gently and stroked its head. 

"Thank you for bringing me to Mr. Polan, Pony." 

The equine did its best to be gentle with the little girl, appreciating every stroke it got on its head. With just a gentle nudge, Pony lifted its head, with the little girl holding on for dear life while giggling. 

"Pony! You're going to hurt her!" Poland exclaimed, scrambling over to bring Mary back to safety. "There. Oh, and one last thing before you go, Mary."

Poland went back to where he placed Bazyli nearby where Mary took her nap, picking up the weighted plushie with all of his might. He held it down to her height, as if Bazyli came alive and was actually interacting with her.

"Bazyli would like to say his farewells to you, too." Poland said, waving the arms of the stuffed dragon around. "Your Matka and Ojciec wouldn't be too fond if they saw a big, funny, dragon in your room, so you're always free to visit me to play with Bazyli whenever you want."

"Bye bye, Bazyli!" Mary said, taking the stuffed dragon out of his hands to give a big squeeze to the funny dragon who also wrapped its big, floppy arms around Mary. With every bit of fluff and stuff that Mary held, it felt like she never wanted to let go of Bazyli. Eventually, she had to give up the dragon and return it back to Poland. 

"Did you hug Bazyli enough, Mary?"

"Yeah!" 

"Bazyli just said that he hopes you have a safe journey home, my dear Lala. Totally tell your friends about me, okay?"

Mary nodded as proudly as she can, heading out to the door that led back into Friendship Manor. "I'll tell everyone all about you, and I'll even tell my Mama and Papa too!"

"That's my Lala!" 

"Bye bye, Mr. Polan!"

"Do widzenia, Mary! Do come again!" 

Thus ends another adventure for Mary, for she had befriended another country that lies within her magical book of hers. To think this friendship all started because of a four-legged thief, too!

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this as a sort of love letter to the culture I belong to, since I based Poland's home on my babcia's home that I used to visit a lot before she passed away and kind of based Poland off typical babcia behavior because he has Big Babcia Energy. Also, fried pierogies are a crime. Why are you eating fried pierogies steamed ones are the true way you make them jfc


End file.
